Commenting on other blogs is one of the best things you can do for your blog as it not only advertises your site, but also allows you to connect with other bloggers to share tips and tricks with each other, thus building quality relationships that are positive for both of you. This article will mention some of the points that you should remember when you’re commenting on other blogs.
Presentation
First of all, before you even begin commenting, you need to think about how you look, and the way you’re going to present yourself when you make a comment (or a few!) on other’s blogs.
For this, you’ll need to think of the display name you’re going to use. Personally, I try to blend advertising with a personal touch, so I put my name as ‘Simon | Teenius’. I put my name to give the personal touch, and then the ‘Teenius’ part to get my site recognised and also give myself a bit of individuality… there are a lot of ‘Simon’s out there, but not many ‘Simon | Teenius’s.
The next thing you’ll have to think about is getting a gravatar. Gravatars are ‘globally recognised avatars’ that will show up when you comment on blogs. It’s a little picture that will go by the side of your name, and is a great way of being recognised. Personally I use the Teenius logo as it’s unique and when people see it, they’ll instantly associate it with me.
To set up a gravatar, you should go to Gravatar.com and set up an account using the same email as you use to comment.
What to write
It goes without saying that what you write in the comment is very important, but there are a few points you need to remember:
- Etiquette – At all times you should remember that the blog you’re commenting on has had a lot of hard work put into it from the owner, so don’t just see it as a marketing tool for your site… try and join in the discussion and offer helpful advice. Don’t just put something like ‘Nice post, was great to read’, as although this is nice, it doesn’t add anything to their blog.
- Read the post – For most people, this point goes without saying, but for a few commentators this part is really hard… READ THE POST YOU’RE COMMENTING ON. OK, sorry for shouting, but it really annoys me when comments aren’t related to the post. It really does show in your comments if you haven’t read the post, and it’s pretty impolite.
- Provoke discussion – When you write, try to be helpful. As I mentioned earlier you shouldn’t just see their blog as a marketing tool, so make sure your comments are beneficial to the blog you’re commenting on. You can do this by asking questions or answering other people’s.
Things to look out for
We’ve got the heavy stuff out the way now, so let’s think about actually getting some traffic for you. There are a few things that can really squeeze all the possible traffic out their blog that you should look out for:
- Top Commentators Plugin – This tool is great, and is definitely one to look out for when you’re commenting on blogs. This plugin shows the top commentators on the blog, and if you can get onto there you’re bound to get more traffic as your URL is on every page of the blog. A quick note… don’t spam to get on there
- Dofollow blogs – If the blog you’re commenting on is dofollow, it means that you can suck some of the PR juice of the site. If the blog is nofollow, then the blogs PR won’t affect your site.
- CommentLuv – CommentLuv is another great plugin that shows your latest blog post at the end of your comment. Sorry, can’t really expand on that.
Have your say…
OK, I’ll admit it, I’m not perfect and there may be some things I’ve missed out. If you’ve spotted something, feel free to leave a comment below. Infact, feel free to leave a comment anyway… we have the top commentators plugin and also CommentLuv
If you enjoyed this post, please share it around by clicking one of the ‘Share and Enjoy’ icons below. Thanks for reading.
Great post Simon, I agree with all points.
Keep it up, you’re doing some good work on this blog and it is a good read
WPThemeKid – Daniel’s last blog post..John Cena, Triple H And Jeff Hardy Vs Edge, Randy Orton And Matt Hardy | Linda McMahon | Kane | More!
Thanks for the comment and kind words, Daniel. I’m hoping to release a new post every 2 days or so, so make sure you keep checking back!
Great post Simon!
Thanks for the comments on my blog
*Why is there so much space above the text in comments?*
No problem, Farrhad.
Thanks for the kind words on the post.
When you say so much space above the text, what exactly do you mean? All looks fine over here?
Will do, I even have you bookmarked as one of my, ‘comment back’ sites
WPThemeKid – Daniel’s last blog post..Creative Blue WP Theme Release!
Great to hear
BTW, I tried to add you on msn with the email you used to comment but it didn’t work. I’ve sent you an email via WPTK with my MSN address
http://imgur.com/46NJ.jpg
See that.
Farrhad A’s last blog post..Tackling Weight with Yoga
Hmm, that’s really odd, works fine for me. :S
What browser are you using?
OK, should be fixed now… how does it look?
Very good post Simon, and you made some excellent points. Especially the one about people commenting for the sole purpose of promoting their blog. I mean, it’s cool if people want to promote their blog, I do too, but it is impolite to leave a comment and not care about the work the author put into their article. Kinda selfish I think.
Good article. This was my first visit to your blog. I saw your comment over on Themelib. I look forward to returning and reading more good stuff!
Keith’s last blog post..16 Symptoms Of A Successful Person
Awesome, glad you visited.
Yeah, I’ve been seeing a lot of spammy comments recently (not on here, just in general) and it really saddens me that people’s hard work is degraded to a spammy comment.
I guess that Farhad is using Google Chrome by the looks of it.
I added you to MSN, Simon but you are offline.
WPThemeKid – Daniel’s last blog post..Creative Blue WP Theme Release!
Yeah, I thought so but you can get different skins and things… anyway I’ve contacted my coder to sort it out.
Could you try adding me again please? I was having lunch and since I got back I think I’ve been talking to a different Dan
Nice work simon!!
Keep it up
Ryan
Thanks Ryan. Hope you keep checking back for future posts
Really Cool Post Simon.. Very clearly explained..
Keep up the good work !
Enk.’s last blog post..How to Create Custom Page Template in Wordpress?
Thanks for the comment, Enk
As a quick side note, is there anything you guys would like to read about? I have loads of ideas for posts jotted down, just need to choose which ones to write about first
Why dont u explain us how to suggest keywords for your blog. Keyword Density and keyword stuffing things?
Nice idea, thanks. Check back in the next few days for that. Already got a post planned for tomorrow that you should find interesting
Nice post. I would suggest reading the comments before yours, and joining in the conversation. Sometimes people ask interesting questions that you can reply to. Nice blog.
Corey Freeman’s last blog post..How Outlining Your Writings will Help You to Succeed
Thanks for dropping by, Corey.
Very good point you’ve raised there, and one that I think should definately be used (almost as important as the read the post point – can’t believe I missed it out!). Might not be ideal on bigger blogs, but certainly on smaller blogs.
Once again, thanks for the comment and the kind words on the blog. Keep dropping by or subscribe to my feed for new updates!
I have seen lots of people commenting “good post ” but that’s the most worst way of commenting. Great blogs and bloggers delete that sorts of comments. great post Simon.
Harish’s last blog post..7 Reasons Why I started Loving Twitter ?
Thanks for the comment, Harish.
I think it would be a bit harsh to actually delete these comments – as a general rule I’ll accept them but won’t reply to them. When you comment it’s important to join in the conversation, as the friendlier you look, the more the blog owner gains (more people want to get involved) and the more you gain (more people want to visit your site)…. everybody wins
Nice tips huh. You look like a good commenter. You are invading my blog. I am expecting to see your name in many top commenter widgets.
Splendid Kid’s last blog post..The Splendid Logo
Thanks for the comment and compliment
I try and comment on as many blogs as possible for two reasons:
a) To get my name/website name out there for people to see
b) To meet new bloggers. I mean, you’ve come to my blog and now we’re chatting, so that seemed to work
I comment for the same reasons you do. I comment on over 50 blogs with top commentator installed. It is a great way to spread the word and connect with other bloggers. See you commented on my blog and now i am commenting on your blog. Don’t you just love networking.
Yeah, networking is one of the best things about making money online in my opinion. Don’t suppose you fancy sending me a list of those 50 blogs? lol
Same, Simon comments the hell out of my blog and I love it. :p
Alex | Blogussion.com’s last blog post..Dealing With Blogging Challenges You Just Don’t See Coming
Good site, admin.
Apart from the above mentioned three points, one more thing one should look for the authority of website. If a blog is a hot spot for most of the blogger then adding frequent comment is always beneficial…
Harsh Agrawal’s last blog post..Now receive adsense checks in India for free with bluedart
Ahh, very good point.
If this is the case, then you should also try and persuade the blog owner to install the top commentator plugin if they haven’t already. If you do, make sure they know the benefits that they’ll receive
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